What Pep Guardiola, Xabi Alonso & other rival managers have said about Arne Slot and Liverpool so far

Liverpool fans could have not hoped for much more from new manager Arne Slot in his debut season at Anfield. The Dutchman arrived from Feyenoord to fill the huge shoes of Jurgen Klopp, and many were debating the potential teething problems that could present themselves.

But so far, there has been very little to show concern over, as Liverpool currently top the Premier League table with a five-point cushion over Manchester City. The Reds have dropped points on just two occasions across all competitions this season and they are the only club holding up their perfect run in the Champions League so far.

Slot inherited a strong squad and was able to keep hold of the bulk of his senior player over the summer. While there is a lot of ongoing speculation over how this Liverpool team will look at the start of the 2024/25 season, there is plenty to focus on right now at the start of this new Anfield era.

Slot’s rival managers have already had a lot to say about him, so let’s take a look at some recent comments from fellow Premier League bosses.

Mikel Arteta

Ahead of Liverpool’s visit to the Emirates last month, Mikel Arteta had praise for both the Reds and Slot. The match ended 2-2, which is the last time Liverpool dropped points.

“Arne’s a really good manager. He’s inherited a team that is successful and given it his touch to maintain and evolve in the direction he believes is the right way to do it. For me, they are one of the best teams in the last decade and certainly the history of this Premier League, because they competed against a team [Man City] that was creating record after record and they were consistently there.

“That shows a lot of relentless and winning mentality to consistently believe, even if some people feel you could not reach it. That’s a big credit to them and they have done the work with a clear identity, so that’s something remarkable in my opinion.”

Thomas Frank

Brentford were Slot’s first Anfield opponent in the Premier League and manager Thomas Frank acknowledged that while Liverpool have deployed the same players for a number of years now, the Dutchman’s small changes made the ‘bigger differences’.

“It is the same players, they have been playing the same way for eight or nine years, not all of them but a lot of them. They still have crazy quality all over the pitch. They are still dangerous on offensive transitions, they scored two goals from that. There was a few little bits in the structure and the build-up play – they were the bigger differences.”

Gary O’Neil

Former Liverpool youth coach Gary O’Neil had a lot of praise for Slot in his press conference ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Molienux to face Wolves in September.

“He is excellent, coaching wise and the way he sets his team up. It's not a surprise to me that he has started well. Liverpool is very well run and very well organised, there's no real mess there to go in and fix. He has gone into a well run football club with a good squad and he's a good coach.”

Xabi Alonso

After previously being linked to succeed Klopp as the new Liverpool manager, Xabi Alonso made the trip back to his old stomping ground with Bayer Leverkusen. The Anfield icon was pleased to be back at his old club and praised the match up between Slot and Liverpool so far.

“Liverpool are in a great moment. I followed Arne Slot when he was at Feyenoord. I know his approach. That combined with the intensity here at Liverpool is a nice mixture. That’s why they are top of the Premier League and the Champions League. In all areas they are strong.

“The manager has done a fantastic job in the past three months. For us it’s a big challenge to come here. At the moment Liverpool are one of the best if not the best team in Europe. We have our plan so let’s see what happens.”

Pep Guardiola

The Pep Guardiola vs Klopp rivalry was always an interesting one for all fans but with a new manager now in charge of Liverpool, the City boss has admitted he is watching more of their games in order to keep an eye on his closest opponents.

Guardiola is yet to meet with Slot as Liverpool boss but their first clash this season is now just weeks away.

“When I play a new club in the Champions League that I don't know, I see much more than playing against Arsenal, for example. Of course I want to watch Arsenal a lot, but Mikel has been there four or five years,” Guardiola told Sky Sports.

“And before with Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool. Now I have to watch more Liverpool because of Arne: I don't know exactly what they do. But with Jurgen, we knew each other better.”